1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a joint structure for an independent suspension and more particularly to a coupling structure advantageous to respective outer races constituting left and right joints.
2. Description of Background Art
Examples of a coupling structure for respective outer races constituting left-hand and right-hand joints in an independent suspension include the following structure: A joint-part shaft is provided for each of the outer races and fitted from the left and right to a tubular member formed with spline grooves on the internal surface thereof. Thus, the tubular member is spline coupled to the left-hand and right-hand joint-part shafts for spline coupling, whereby the left-hand and right-hand outer races are indirectly coupled to each other via the tubular member. (For example, see Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Sho 63-90486.)
The structure for coupling the left-hand and right-hand outer races via the above-mentioned tubular member has a problem in that it is difficult to ensure a necessary wheel stroke because of the following: Since the left-hand and right-hand outer races are independently coupled to the tubular member, a lateral widthwise distance is increased according to the intervention of the tubular member, which may provide an excessive joint angle in a limited tread. Therefore, there arises a problem in that it is difficult to ensure a necessary wheel stroke.